Micah Richards quits drinking as muscle-strapped football TV pundit reveals he piled on weight following a worrying back injury

Micah Richards has revealed he's given up drinking in a bid to lose weight after 'putting on timber' and suffering with a back injury.

The former Manchester City defender-turned pundit admitted he had fallen into the habit of boozing without then doing enough exercise to even it out the following day.

And Richards, 37, explained to Alan Shearer and Gary Lineker during a light-hearted exchange on The Rest is Football podcast about his recent decision.

Richards was sitting alongside Lineker in the former Match of the Day presenter's house, with Shearer speaking to the pair on a video link.

Shearer said: 'He's in your front lounge, I sense red wine later on lads...'

Lineker replied: 'He's off the drink! And I opened a really nice bottle as you can see here.

'On a serious note, Al, I've put on too much timber,' Richards then said before the Newcastle legend ribbed him for it.

'I was beginning to think that actually myself, I was thinking that,' he joked.

Richards went on: 'He's horrible isn't he! What's happening is that I'm drinking and not going and doing my exercise the next day, I had a problem with my back and had the epidural injection.

'So my back's basically finished, I've had epidural now, I'm not drinking and feel great. I feel like I've got more energy.

Shearer added: 'Oh no that's not a good sign if you've got more energy, f***ing hell. Have you not got enough already?'

Richards was known for his athleticism and power in his playing days and remained dedicated to the gym after retirement, calling himself 'Big Meeks'.

He previously was part of the campaign between Sky Sports and Optimum Nutrition, seen in the promo video doing a bench press.

He was also seen shirtless with his impressive physique on display while filming a special League of Their Own road trip alongside Jamie Redknapp last year.

Richards also loves boxing training and his CBS colleague Kate Abdo's husband, Malik Scott, who previously trained American heavyweight Deontay Wilder, believes he could have fights in Misfits in the future.

He told CanadaCasino: 'Micah Richards definitely has the potential for something like the Misfits. The main question is who his opponent would be.

'Micah is strong and has good punching mechanics. When I had him on the pads, it felt like I was coaching someone very coordinated. He knows what it takes to compete because he's competed at the highest level in his sport.

'Boxing is essentially about staying calm under the pressure of someone trying to knock you out.

'If you can do that, you've conquered more than half the battle, and I think he could do it.'

Clearly Richards' worrying injury, having described his back as 'basically finished', would appear to rule out that possibility at least in the near future.

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